McDonald’s Hamburgers: Almost Entirely Indestructible

In the name of both art and science, New York photographer Sally Davies decided to buy a hamburger happy meal from McDonald’s, set it out on a table, and take a picture of it every day until it disintegrated. That was 137 days ago and the end is nowhere near: The fries look as fresh as the day they came out of the fryer, and the burger — minus a little patty shrinkage — is virtually unchanged. Davies plans to keep going with the project until something happens, but she’d better be ready for a long haul: A twelve-year-old McD’s burger surfaced a few years ago looking shockingly well-preserved. If you find yourself in possession of a fast-food hamburger and eating it (or trashing it) isn’t an option, there’s always the scientific method. Take a cue from University of Nottingham chemistry professor Martyn Poliakoff (who, we must note, has fantastic hair) and dunk the whole thing in a vat of hydrochloric acid, as demonstrated in the following video: